Door for washing-machines.



EQLICHTENSTEIN (NOW BY JUDICIAL CHANGE OF NAME E. LANEL.

. DOOR FOR WASHING MACHINES;

APPLICATION FILED DEC- 7, I9l5- RENEWED Big. 23. Q

' Patented Feb. 25, 1919 f 132 vflfar Edwin L L'a/Ifeha Te 1'11 now by efudiu al c/rnnye name Edwin [10186.

Warneg E. L\CHTENSTEIN,(NOW BY JUDICIAL CHANGE OF NAME E. LANE).

. DOOR FOR WASHING MACHINES.

APPLICQTION HLH) DEC. 1, 1915- RENEWED DECIZS. \9l8 Patented Feb. 25, 1919.

1 5 2 sums-s EH 2 Application filed December 7, 1915, Serial No. 65,565. Renewed December 23, 1918. Serial No. 268,058

EDWIN LICHTENSTEIN', (NOW BY JUDICIAL CHANGE OF NAME EDWIN LANE) OF NEW YORK N. Y. f

DOOR FOR WASHING-MACHINES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN LIOHTENSTEIN, (now by judicial change of name EDWIN LANE,) a citizen-of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Doors for Washing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improve-.

ments in washing machines of the type used generally in laundries and embodying a rotary drum and a casing inclosing the same. The primary object of the invention is to provide an improved door or closure con-' trolling access to the interior of the casing and the drum therein, whereby not only 1s the operation of introducing the articles to be washed into the drum and removal of thesame therefrom facilitated, but it insures the attendant from injury and protects the filling pail or vessel from damage or breakage during the filling or replenishing of the casing with supplies, and it provides a door and door opening which extend the full length of the casing, or substantially so, thus rendering the inner drum and the interior of the casing accessible throughout their length.

In the preferred embodiments of the invention it comprises a door which, when manipulated by the attendant in the usual way, will open only partially, its complete opening being prevented automatically or in a manner which does not require any care on the part of the attendant, the door when thus partially opened permitting proper placing of the pail to lntroduce supplies into the casing, but the door will act as a guard or obstruction which will permit the pail to be moved from side to side of the door opening to insure even or uniform dis tribution of the supplies along the entire length of the inner drum and will prevent tipping or placing the pail so as to bring the same into contact with the, rotating drum within the casing. When it is desired to obtain access to the' interior of the drum, it is only necessary to release or trip the means which ordinarily acts to prevent com- Specificationjof Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 25, 1919.

the full opening in the casing, thereby enabling access to be had to the interior of the drum without obstruction.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in certain improvements, and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out particularly in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a washing machine of the ordinary type used en erally in laundries but equipped with a door constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 represents a transverse section through the washing machine showing the door in its partially opened position by the full lines and in its completely opened position by the'dot-and-dash lines.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1' showing another embodiment of the invention. v

Fig. 4 represents a transverse section through the machine as shown in Fig. 3, the door being shown in partially opened position.

Fig. 5 represents a detail section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Similar parts are designated by the same reference characters in the several views.

The present invention is applicable generally to rotary washing machines of the various types adapted for use in laundries and dry cleaning'establishments or to any analogous apparatus embodying a rotating drum or element, an incloslng casing, and a door or equivalent structure for controlling access to the interior of the casing. Different structures may be adopted in carrying the invention into practice, two embodiments of the invention being shown in the drawings as examples, and hence it is to be understood that equivalent constructions within the scope of the annexed claims are contemplated and will be included as .within' the scope of the invention.

As shown in the present instance, the invention is applied to a washing machine of the type generally used in laundries, the same comprising an outer cas ng 1, which is .in Figs. 1 and 2, a door is provided which ordinarily supported in stationary position and has an opening 2 therein, and a drum 3 which latter is smaller than the casing and is mounted to rotate within the casing. As shown, the drum is supported in the casing by a shaft l and it is common to impart rotation to the drum alternately in reverse directions by driving means which is generally known and which it is unnecessary to illustrate and describe. The drum 3 contains the clothes or other articles to be washed or treated. It is commonly cylindrical in form and has numerous openings 5 in its peripheral wall to permit circulation of the soap water or other washing or treating medium which is contained in the lower portion of the casing 1. The drum is provided with a door 6 which controls access to the interior of the drum to permit insertion and removal of the clothes or articles to be washed or treated, it covering or uncov- 'ering an opening 7 formed in the Peripheral wall of the drum. As shown, two doors are provided, the doors being attached to the drum by hinges 8 and provided with catches 9 for retaining the doors in closed position. Both embodiments of the invention shown'in the drawings are applied to a washing machine of the structure just described.

In the embodiment of the invention shown comprises sections 10 and 11, the combined areas of these door sections being sufficient to close the opening 2 in the casing. The door sections are shaped to fit properly upon the casing around the opening 2 therein,

and their adjacent edges are connected by hinges 12, the opposite edge of the section 10 being hinged or pivoted to the casing, at 13, while the edge14 of the section 11 is free or unattached. A handle 15is preferably attached to the door section 11 at a point adjacent to its 'free edge 14, and it is preferable to provide a pair of additional handles 16 and 17 on the door section 11 above the handle 15.

Means is provided for automatically limiting the opening movement of the door or the folding of the door sections, such means acting without requiring the attention of 'the attendant. Such means as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a latch in the form of a bar 18, one end of which is pivoted, at 19, to the under side of the door section 11, and this bar is provided toward its free end with a notch 20 which is arranged to engage the edge 21 of anopening 22 in the door section 10, it being understood that the bar 18 extends through the opening 22 in the door section 10 and projects for a suitable distance to prevent dislocation of the bar 18 when the door is closed, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2, and to provide a handle for releasing the bar when the door is partially opened, as shown by the full lines in Figs.

latch just described, means is provided which acts to support or retain the door in such'position, that is to say, to prevent closing of the door in such cases where the door is so mounted that gravity would tend to close it when it is partially opened. As shown, recesses or notches 23- are provided in the casing adjacent to and at the sides of the opening 2 therein in which the free edge 14 of the door sectioii 11 may rest. When the door is in this position, as shown in Fig. 1 and by the full lines in Fig. 2, the door is locked or held from further opening movement, and it is supported or held in such a way as to prevent. closing thereof. Also, when the door is in this partly opened position, it will uncover the opening 2 in .the casing sufficiently to permit a pail to be applied to introduce water or other liquid into the casing, but it will prevent contact of the pail with the drum. As shown by the'dotted lines in Fig. 2, the pail may be apnlied so as to rest upon the bottom edgeof the opening 2, and the upper portion of the pail will a'but against the handle 15 or against the of the opening 22, whereupon the door may be opened completely, as shown by the dotand-dash lines in Fig. 2, the movement of the door from its partially opened position to its completely opened position being et- -fected convenientlv by grasping the upper handles 16 and 17 Closing of the door is effected by grasping and pulling forward upon the handles 16 and 17 the free edge 14 of the door section 11 being held in a position to pass over or clear the recesses or notches 23 in the casing. Obviously, the latch bar 18 does not perform any function during the closing of the door.

Figs. 3-5 inclusive show one embodiment of theinvention as applied to a sliding door instead of a hinged or pivoted door, as in the preceding instance. In this example of the invention, the door 24 is mounted to slide to cover and uncover the opening 2 in the casing, it being curved on a radius concentric with the axis of the casing where, as in the instance shown, a cylindrical casing is used. The door may, as in the previous instance, have a handle 25 attached arresting the opening-movement of the door to position the latter for the introduction of water or liquid into the casing comprises a latch 26,.one end of which is attached to the, casing, as at 27, and the opposite end of which is provided with a catch 28. A projection 29 i fixed to and movablewith the door, it being positioned to automatically engage the catch 28 when the door has been fected after the catch 28 has been lifted out of engagement with the projection 29. In order to guide the latch relatively to the projection 29, a pair of' guiding flanges 31 may be attached to the door to operate at opposite sides of the latch.

The present invention provides an improved door which not only facilitates the operation thereof either for the purpose of introducing water or liquid into the casing or for the introduction or removal of the clothes or other articles, but it obviates the defect existing in washing machines as heretofore constructed and which permitted the pail used in the introduction of water or liquid to come into contact with the rotating drum and which defect resulted frequently in injury to the attendant. vThe invention is, of course, applicable readily machines already in use.

I claim as my invention 1. In a washing machine embodying a casing having an opening in its circumference, the combination of a door having an edge movable in a direction circumferentially of the casing to cover and uncover said opening, and means operative automatically to arrest the. opening movement of the door when said edge thereof has been moved to a position to uncover a part of the area of said opening, said 'means being releasable manually to subsequently permit further opening of the door. p

2. In a washing machine having a casing to washing .with an opening in one side and a revoluble drum therein adapted to be exposed through said opening, the combination of a door having an edge movable in a path concentrically of the axis of the drum to cover and uncover said door opening, and means operative automatically during opening movement of the door to limit such movement when said opening has been partially uncovered and subsequently releasable manually to permit further opening movement of the door to fully uncover said opening.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- EDWIN LICHTENSTEIN, (Now by judicial chamge of name Edwin Lane.) Witnesses:

PERCY MENDELSON, Eva AXEL. 

